Irish DD nurse looking for work in the states

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Hi Everyone,

I am a qualified intellectual disability nurse (the equivalent of a developmental delay nurse) however in Ireland we specialise in the field immediately and thus I do not have a general nursing degree. However it has given a huge dept of knowledge in the field of developmental delay.

I am curious about which states would be the best to get a job in this area or does anyone know what agencies I could contact.

Also does anyone know how to transfer my degree to the states?

I would really appreciate help as myself and my boyfriend would love to move to the states.

thanks a million in advance :)

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Do you have a baccalaureate (bachelors) degree in nursing?

Here in the US, nurses are trained as generalists. We must take coursework in pediatric nursing, maternal health nursing, psychiatric & mental health nursing, and adult medical/surgical nursing.

You would need to pick one US state and figure out what the requirements are. In all likelihood, you'll need to complete additional nursing coursework if you wish to become licensed as a nurse in one of the 50 US states.

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Hit hanks for quick reply. Yes I do have an honours bachelor degrees (4 years) in Intellectual Disability Nursing. Would you know what states would be the best ace to look for developmental delay jobs?

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There is no such thing in the US as a nurse specifically licensed in DD nursing, or any other specific specialty in nursing. What TheCommuter is saying is that unless your nursing degree includes classroom and supervised clinical hours in adult medical-surgical nursing, pediatric nursing, obstetrical nursing, and psychiatric nursing, you will not be able to get licensed as a nurse in any US state. The US educates and licenses all RNs as generalists, which is an entirely different model than the model used in Ireland.

You would probably be able to get a job as an unlicensed aide in developmental disability settings, but those jobs would not pay very much.

Also, are you going to have a visa that will allow you to work in the US? That is a whole separate issue apart from the nursing licensure question.

Welcome to allnurses! Best wishes!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Thread has been moved to the Advice on Immigration forum since the OP is wanting to relocate to the US. We wish her the best of luck with this journey.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Every US State requires nurses to be generalist trained with clinical and theory in adult medical surgical nursing, geriatrics, psych/mental health, obstetrics/maternity, and pediatrics. Very few recently educated UK specialty trained nurses have sufficient clinical & theory in all disciplines, (if nothing else most are missing OB/maternity since the UK uses midwives) without additional schooling. There are not many ID/DD nursing jobs as many of the jobs are fulfilled by social services, home health aides/personal care assistants. Very few of these agencies (most are not-for profit social services agencies with minimal budgets) would be in a position to offer visa sponsorship to an overseas nurse, if you were able to meet the requirements for licensing and pass the NCLEX-RN.

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Every US State requires nurses to be generalist trained with clinical and theory in adult medical surgical nursing, geriatrics, psych/mental health, obstetrics/maternity, and pediatrics. Very few recently educated UK specialty trained nurses have sufficient clinical & theory in all disciplines, (if nothing else most are missing OB/maternity since the UK uses midwives) without additional schooling. There are not many ID/DD nursing jobs as many of the jobs are fulfilled by social services, home health aides/personal care assistants. Very few of these agencies (most are not-for profit social services agencies with minimal budgets) would be in a position to offer visa sponsorship to an overseas nurse, if you were able to meet the requirements for licensing and pass the NCLEX-RN.

Thank for your reply, so basically no hope of working in US, that's very disappointing:(

thank you

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

The only real test if you think you have hours in Paeds, Mental Health, Obstetrics and Adult is to apply to a state and see if you are eligible to sit NCLEX and meet state requirements

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What about working as a special needs au pair?

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
What about working as a special needs au pair?

Again you need to qualify for a work visa and find an employer willing to go through the expense to pay for visa sponsorship and prove no U.S. Citizen or permanent resident is qualified

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Specializes in Oncology.

Au Pairs are on J 1 visa and you have to go through an agency to do that. In order to obtain a visa, you have to go through all screening process- hours of child care, criminal background check, matching with the US host family and so on. More importantly, you can not be older than 27 by the time you fly out.

I was an au pair "extraordinary" back in 2004. I got paid only $200 weekly but free board. Normal au pair got paid only $120 a week. I heard the pay is higher now but not that much compare to RN.

Don't get me wrong. Au pair was a great experience but it was just a live in nanny job.

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